Little John plays for All-StarsDANVILLE — He surely won’t be the last, but in the Little Johns history books, Brett Wilkins will always be known as the first. Wilkins, the son of Lance Wilkins and Michaelle Standridge, is the first Danville baseball player to be named to the Arkansas High School Coaches Association (AHSCA) All-Star team. He will represent the Little Johns and the West All-Stars when they play the East on June 24. Wilkins was all-conference all four seasons ...

Post 20 falls to Cabot in Legion playCABOT — Russellville’s American Legion Post 20 baseball team could not overcome a strong pitching performance by Cabot as the Patriots fell 6-1 Wednesday. The Patriots were held to only two hits as Cabot’s Kason Kimbrell struck out 11 and walked one during his six innings on the mound. Travis Cole reached first base to lead off the game thanks to an error by the Cabot second baseman, but he was picked off two pitches later. Jacob Barker hit a ...

Meador speaks at Warrior awards banquetLAMAR — The Lamar Warrior Booster Club (LWBC) hosted the sixth annual athletic awards banquet last month in the elementary cafeteria. Eddie Meador, former Los Angeles Rams and Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boy, was the distinguished guest speaker. As a Wonder Boy, he competed in not only football, but track and basketball. Following his college football career, Meador played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1959-1970. During his career in the N...

Dardanelle hosts football scrimmageThe Dardanelle Sand Lizards hosted a five-team football scrimmage Wednesday at Keenan Field. Several area teams from the River Valley brought their squads to the scrimmage including Pottsville, Lamar, Danville and Hector.

Cyclones Football Camp kicks off MondayRussellville Cyclones head coach Jeff Holt isn’t interested in weeding out potential Cyclones at the 2014 Russellville Cyclones Football Camp next week at Cyclone Stadium. Instead, he wants all of them to become Cyclones. “What we try to do is appeal to all kids,” he said. “We’d like all kids to become a part of our program. We want to keep as many kids involved as possible as they go on.” Holt said the camp would help teach kids how to catch ...

Clarksville football expands staff, programCLARKSVILLE — Eli Cranor has done everything in his power to breathe life into the Clarksville Panthers football program since taking the head coaching job earlier this year. When he arrived, the Panthers had five football coaches spread between the middle school, junior high, junior varsity and varsity programs. “It made things tough,” Cranor said. “When you’ve got JV games, eighth-grade games and all that. It would leave your varsity practic...

Kindrick earns Gatorade Player of YearRussellville Lady Cyclones pitcher Andrea Kindrick is the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year for softball, it was announced on Thursday. It is Kindrick’s second year running to earn the award, which is selected by Gatorade in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports. Few would argue against her position as top softball player in the state. Russellville head coach Harley Sisson considers it a blessing to have been given the opportunity to ...

Local teams gear up for summer workoutsTimes have changed. In the past, when the final bell signaled the end of school for the summer, coaches didn’t usually see their players again until early August, where they began grueling two-a-day workouts in order to catch up and prepare for the upcoming fall schedule. These days, football is played 365 days a year. “If you don’t,” Pottsville head coach Bryan Rust said. “You’re falling behind.” From spring practices, 7-on-7 tournaments to t...

Dardanelle welcomes two new softball fieldsDARDANELLE — The city of Dardanelle christened a new softball complex at Merritt Park during a ceremony and four games Tuesday across two new fields at the facility. The complex, which Dardanelle constructed through a $250,000 matching grant with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, saw its first pitch after an invocation by Dardanelle Sports Commission member Jared Higginbotham. “Everything we do through this facility will bring hono...

Jones voted softball coach of the yearPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Lady Apaches softball team was young. Eight seniors graduated in 2013 and left Lady Apaches head coach Greg Jones with a lot holes to fill. Many didn’t expect much from Pottsville this year — certainly not a share of the 4A-4 Conference championship, a third-place finish in the district and regional tournaments, and definitely not a berth in the Class 4A state tournament. “A lot of people picked us to finish in the ...

Spring practice finishesDOVER — Rainy conditions kept the Dover Pirates football team from holding their annual Black and White scrimmage on Friday, but it didn’t keep them from spring practice. Dover head coach Greg Jones saw enough in practice to feel encouraged about the upcoming season. “I think we had a couple good days,” the second-year head coach said. “We got a late start because our baseball team made it to the second round of the state playoffs and did a re...

Cyclones scrimmage through stormThey’re big. Russellville Cyclones line coach Charlie Goodman believes the Cyclones football team will field one of the largest offensive lines in the state. And judging by their performance on Friday in the annual Red and Black scrimmage at Cyclone Stadium, they will have the skills to back it up. “I feel good about not just their size, but their abilities,” Goodman said. “I think we have a chance to be really good up front. With just 10 days...

Local stars on ’14 All-Star rostersSeveral athletes from the Arkansas River Valley will compete at the 2014 Arkansas High School Coaches Association (AHSCA) All-Star baseball, softball and soccer games later this month. Seven athletes from Russellville, Hector, Danville and Atkins were selected by their conferences and narrowed down by the coaches of the East and West to represent their schools on June 24-27. Athletes were nominated by their conferences then drafted. Only three...

Local sports briefs (June 1, 2014)Pottsville basketball camp starts June 9 The Pottsville Apaches basketball camp will be held June 9-10. The camp is for students going into grades 3-7. The cost of the camp is $40 and includes instruction, competitions and a t-shirt. The camp will be held at Pottsville Junior High gymnasium for grades 3-5 and at George Jones Gymnasium for grades 6-7. For more information contact Pottsville head basketball coach Shane Thurman. ATU Night with th...

Apaches scrimmage answers questionsPOTTSVILLE — The annual Pottsville Apaches Black and Gold scrimmage Thursday at John Needham Stadium gave fans some answers about the hole left by former four-year starter Micheal Perry. Junior Jake Dugger stepped into the starting quarterback position and did well, Pottsville head coach Bryan Rust said. “He did the job tonight,” Rust said. “It was pretty apparent that it’d be him to step in, so we’ve done our best to prepare him for that. He’...

Russellville state tourneys ‘first class’What makes a state tournament a success? It’s not about fiscal numbers, Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) executive director Lance Taylor said. It’s about creating memories for the students fortunate enough to participate. “It’s a state tournament,” Taylor said. “That’s hard for a team to achieve and once you get there, it needs to be memorable. It’s not about anything fiscal. It’s for the kids. That’s what it’s all about. Of course, Russe...

Russellville trap team competes in regionalJACKSONVILLE — Twenty-four members of the Russellville Trap Team recently traveled to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) Shooting Complex to participate in the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports regional trap shooting tournament. Fourteen students competed in the junior division and shot a combined score of 189, while 10 students competed in the senior division, shooting a combined score of 398. Russellville trap shooting coach Matt Hugh...

Pirates baseball earns multiple honorsDOVER — Pirates head coach Jason McGhee is more interested in talking about the success of his players than his own, despite earning the 4A-4 Conference coach of the year distinction for the fifth time in his career. “It’s more about the kids,” McGhee said. “It’s a big honor, but I like the kids getting recognition more than the coaches.” This year, there’s plenty of both. Seven Dover baseball players earned All-State or All-Conference honors ...

Defense pleases Price at Red-White gameDARDANELLE — Sand Lizards head coach Josh Price didn’t want too many touchdowns on Tuesday at the annual Red and White scrimmage at Keenan Field. Too many touchdowns on either side meant his defense wasn’t performing to the level he wanted. “I think defense was our bright spot,” Price said. “And I think we did a really good job of flying around the ball getting to and limiting our good, skill kids. “We’ve got kids who can do good stuff with th...